


If I Could Turn Back Time

by paintedshards



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, M/M, Mentioned Narcissa Black Malfoy, Post-Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-21 17:44:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20697512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paintedshards/pseuds/paintedshards
Summary: Please, read the warnings! MCD.Draco takes his last chance to talk to Harry.





	If I Could Turn Back Time

The walk is challenging as Draco enters Hyde Park. Parents are watching their children play; people walk their dogs. It is colder now, Draco can feel it, he questions it only shortly. Dark clouds are forming in the sky. It is going to rain soon. 

He can see Potter perching on the bench. He is alone. 

Draco takes a long breath. It is now or never.

Potter gets up when he sees him. “Hi,” Draco holds out his hand hesitantly. Potter takes it. “Hello, Malfoy,” Potter says and lets go of his hand. Draco can feel the hard material as he sits down. Lying next to Potter is an abandoned newspaper. There has been a fire in Wiltshire yesterday. Draco slides it to the side. “Thank you for meeting me.” 

Potter nods thoughtfully and lifts his gaze to Draco. “That’s what you said in your letter.” Draco removes invisible dirt from his trousers. “This is not easy for me. I know I can’t make up for the mistakes I did.” Potter gets up. “If you want redemption I won’t give you that. Sorry, Malfoy.”

“Wait. Please,” Draco should let Potter walk away, it would be the right thing to do. “I know you don’t care. Why should you? But you agreed to meet me, so there is some part of you that cares even if just a little bit. I won’t bother you again in the future.” Potter breathes out loudly. “Fine. And then you will leave me alone, all of us.” Draco nods. Potter sits back down.

“I have made so many bad choices in the past. If I could, I would apologise to all of these people that I have hurt.” Potter nods. “That would be a good start.”

“I will try to be as honest as possible.” He had gone through it several times on his way here. “Before I came to school, my father told me that I had to become your friend. All summer he talked about it. It was the most important thing. My attempts to do so may not have been the best. I hated myself for it. Where I grew up, everyone knew about you. I was the one to meet you in person. You refused to be in Slytherin, the house I was told was the best; as if it were a bad choice. I tried to insult you, hoping, you would see my influence on people and decide to be on my side. You didn’t.” Potter listens patiently, not taking his eyes of Draco.

“Well, yeah, Malfoy. We were young, and you can’t force someone to be your friend. Insulting the first friendly person my age that I ever met, was the worst you could do. I think at that age, no one really thinks about what they are saying,” Potter says softly. 

Draco looks down and plays with the hem of his shirt. “I was watching you all the time, the most popular wizard in the wizarding world, and I had to find out how you did it. I hated that you didn’t study and just enjoyed your time with your friends. I studied, all the time and you still beat me at the duel. You could even talk to snakes.” Potter laughs. “It seems you know a lot about me. I had my eyes on you as well. I always thought that my time at Hogwarts would have been much more fun if you hadn’t been around.” He ponders for a moment. “But I came to the conclusion that we were both too stubborn.”

“Yeah, I guess we were. I want you to know that if with all of my memories, I could go back, I would stand up, and do things differently. I grew up with different beliefs and wanted to please my parents. Now I know that this is not how the world works. Money is not important to me anymore; my whole life has been about that and status. In the end, I went with my parents. Did you know that I was stupid enough to think my father would change? But he believed in what he did even after all this time.” 

Potter is quiet for a while, and Draco doesn’t say anything either. His mind wanders to the events of last night. 

_ He was just about to leave the Manor when Death Eaters came to burn it all down. He heard his mother screaming in the burning flames; she was alone. Lucius had died in prison. He and his mother didn’t have wands anymore; the Death Eaters did. _

Draco is driven out of his thoughts when Potter starts talking again. “Actually, Malfoy, I thought so did you. I am not even sure why you are telling me all of this now.”

Draco is looking into Potter’s eyes. “I know. But there is one more thing you need to hear. I want to thank you for saving me from the fire and for testifying for my mother and me, it means a lot to me.” Potter nods. “Well, thanks for not selling me to Bellatrix. And I am sorry for the Sectumsempra. That was really dumb.” “I always wondered where you learned it; not doing any dark magic, and then you came up with that,” Draco raises an eyebrow. “I found it in a potions book. But that’s another story.” Potter looks sad for a moment then he continues. “You were always very skilful, Malfoy. I wondered what would have happened if you would have fought on our side.” 

“You thought about us fighting side by side?” Draco asks in disbelief. “Much better than against me. Don’t you think?” “Everything could have been so different,” Draco says quietly, he wonders if Potter had heard it.

_ The flames were getting worse; it was too hot, he couldn_ ’_t _ _breathe. Then everything turned black. When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in an enormous white hall; he was alone, a few seconds later, his mother joined him. They knew they had to move on. They felt it. Draco was given a choice. He could go with his mother right away, or he could go back for one last day. _

Draco’s eyes fill with tears; he looks away quickly. Potter looks at him. “Maybe one day it will.” 

Draco’s tears fall down his cheeks. “I am sorry. It’s just…” Draco shakes his head; he had not planned on Potter seeing him cry. 

Potter looks at him for a moment and places his hand on Draco’s back, pulling him into a hug. Draco puts his hands on the arm that’s in front of him and holds on tightly. Potter is warm and smells like he had just taken a shower. After a few moments, Draco loosens his grip and Potter lets go of him.

Draco looks at him with red eyes. “Thank you for everything,” Draco stands up and shakes Potter’s offered hand. “See you, Draco.” Draco smiles at him weakly. 

Potter watches him leave until Draco vanishes into thin air. 

The rain starts pouring. Taking the newspaper next to him as protection, Potter looks at it. Malfoy Manor is in flames. Two bodies were found. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. =)
> 
> I always love comments. <3


End file.
